The Nebra sky disc, a gold-decorated bronze disc found in Germany and dated to the Bronze Age, contains both gold and tin from the Carnon valley.[7][8]

In 1992 the river was hit by a major pollution incident, when over 45 million litres of contaminated water from the closed Wheal Jane mine was released by the collapse of an adit, colouring the river water red. A treatment works has since been installed at Wheal Jane to intercept the contaminated water and treat it to remove suspended metals and restore a neutral pH.[9]